“Theme Time” is a bluegrass banjo instrumental credited to Bill Emerson, Jimmy Martin, and Paul Williams — figures connected to Jimmy Martin’s band, the Sunny Mountain Boys. Martin used the tune as theme music, and it became a familiar part of the Scruggs-style banjo repertoire.
As a banjo feature, the piece is built for the rolling, syncopated three-finger style that defines bluegrass banjo. It is a common jam tune and a familiar proving ground for players learning the idiom.
This recording features the banjoist Jim Mills, a player known for his command of traditional bluegrass banjo and his work with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. He included it on his album “Hide Head Blues.”
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